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Ricardo Arias – 410 pounds to 211.6 pounds, for a loss of 198.4 pounds. But is he an anomaly? Sidenote: the black pants in the after pic (56 portly-long/60+ inch waist) fit him tightly at 410.

How many “how-to” books actually get read?

Historically, no one has known. Now, it’s possible to get an idea by looking at how many digital highlights a book has, and perhaps Amazon will someday provide data on how many people finish Kindle editions.

Taking it a step further: how many of the books actually get used?

This is tricky. Patients routinely ignore prescribed drugs, estimated to result in 125,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular disease alone, so it’s hard to imagine books are better followed. But how to know for sure?

The answer is: you have to track it.

When The 4-Hour Body (4HB) was published, it was met with sharp criticism, including:

– It’s impossible to lose more than 2 pounds of fat per week!

– It’s impossible to gain 20+ pounds of muscle in a month!

– It’s impossible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time!

Fortunately, the “impossible” (circling the globe, breaking the 4-minute mile, reaching the moon, etc.) needs just one exception to be proven possible.

Since late 2010, new research and publications have supported many of the 4HB chapters that started with self-experiments (e.g. The New York Times and “brown fat,” cold exposure for fat loss, etc.). For all chapters, readers have outpaced my successes with their own. Here are several 100+ pound case studies.

But, the skeptics will rightly ask: Does it work for the general public, not just a handful of standouts?

This post will cover the first wide-scale distributed studies of The 4-Hour Body, which involved 3,500 people over 4 weeks. I’ll also include a few individual examples and measurements.

Here’s our rough table of contents:

– Case Study: 200 Pounds Lost

– The 4-Hour Body – Summary of Results with 3,500 People

– The Winner of The 4-Week Challenge: Female Before-and-After

– An Opportunity: Win Money By Losing Weight…

Case Study: 200 Pounds Lost

Ricardo Arias has gone from 410 pounds to 211.6 pounds with 4HB, for a loss of 198.4 pounds. Based on his rate of progress, he should pass 200 pounds lost within the next 10 days or so.

Why feature this first? I wanted to highlight the personal effects of radical physical change before we get to the numbers.

As I’ve said before, I find writing books hellishly painful. Every time I ask myself “Why the #$%& did I sign up for this?”, the answer is: letters like the below.

It might seem self-congratulatory to include it (with Ricardo’s permission, of course), but it serves a purpose:

– It can inspire others to take action for the first time.

– It illustrates long-term benefits of The Slow-Carb Diet that far transcend the body.

Tim, thank you.

You’ve changed my life. Let me count the ways;

1. Almost 200 Pounds Lost. Who knows how many years you’ve added to my life. You’ve been the catalyst for this new found lifestyle. I have come to embrace the fact that without a plan (the SCD) I will end up obese again. I know that while I cannot control a lot of things in my life, I CAN control what I eat and when I eat. I now feel comfortable eating out with friends and family at restaurants knowing any restaurant can make a SCD compliment meal. Always keeping in mind that if I have to pay a little extra for that double portion of protein or extra veggies its only a part of my anti-fat tax and given the price of healthcare I am actually saving money.

2. Positive Change I’ve Inspired in Others. I have a group of friends I’ve known since elementary school (one of them since pre-school) who keep in touch almost daily. Some of them I see more often than others, so when we got together for our yearly posada (Christmas party) all of them commented on my positive change. Most if not all of them are now applying the principles of the SCD to their diets. They’re actually getting an excel sheet together to keep track of all our weight, they are now on course to join the 4HB lifestyle.

3. I Can Shop at Regular People’s Stores. Clothing wise a whole new world opened up for me. Choices are limited when you’re a 60 inch waist and 4XL. So when I walked into Zara while doing some Christmas shopping and fit into a XL jacket (yes EUROPEAN XL not XXL but XL) I couldn’t believe it. I was so proud and happy, not because of the clothes per se, but because it was a culmination of the little victories I’ve had on the path I’ve chosen. All those sacrifices and all that effort reflected back at me in the mirror in the mold of a really cool jacket. I remember a couple of Christmas’ ago my sister gave me a 56PL suit as a gift (the “P” meaning Portly as in fat around the waist). At my worst point the suit fit me tighter than a glove. Yesterday, I picked up my new suit at the tailor a black 44L suit. Another victory. Another piece of motivation to keep on going.

4. Love and Life. On a very personal level, all this energy and new mentality and approach to life has made me feel open to building meaningful relationships. Whether it’s improving the relationships I already have or making new ones, I feel I now radiate this positive energy from within that other people can notice. Through this new body — this new mentality — I find myself opening up to some great possibilities. The change in me has not only been physical. This is something I never expected, but it has been a consequence of this lifestyle.

5. New Sense of Purpose. I no longer feel like I am entitled to something. I now want to work as hard as I can to apply my new-found discipline and purpose elsewhere. I now know I am capable of achieving anything I put my mind to. And I most want to help others find their paths to a similar lifestyle — one that has been so rewarding and enriching for me.

I know I am not out of the woods yet. I actually recognize that keeping tabs on my diet will be a life-long process. I know that if I want to keep living this fuller life, I have to be conscious of the decisions I’ve made, and learn to live with the consequences. They say nothing tastes better than the way thin feels, but that’s not true. I say nothing tastes better than a life well lived. And because of you I have wet my beak and found a lifestyle I can maintain and truly get the most out of life.

Thank you, Tim.

– Ricardo Arias

P.S. I just gotta send you this pic (attached). Not only does it show how happy I am, but come on, that’s a cool jacket.

Summary of Results from 3,500 People

Lift is a behavioral modification app. It was incubated by Obvious Corp., whose co-founders include Twitter co-founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone. After seeing Lift’s potential, I became one of the first (if not first) outside investors.

– Next, sign up for whichever 4HB habits they wanted to follow. See the six below, The Slow-Carb Diet® being the most important:

So, what happened with our eventual 3,500 people? The following is excerpted from the original post by Tony Stubblebine, the CEO of Lift:

84% of people who stuck to the program lost weight and the average weight loss was 8.6 pounds. These numbers are very strong.

The diet is based on developing a few key habits: Slow-carb diet (no processed carbs or dairy), taking cold showers, eating 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up, exercising, and measuring your weight, body fat and total inches.

[Note from Tim: “Total Inches” is explained in The 4-Hour Body as follows: “Get a simple tape measure and measure four locations: both upper arms (mid-bicep), waist (horizontal at navel), hips (at widest point below waist), and both legs (mid-thigh). Total these numbers to arrive at your Total Inches (TI). Changes in this total will be meaningful enough to track.”]

…

The data we used comes from a large pool of Lift usage data (3,500 participants) and responses from a follow-up survey to Lift users in which 200 people participated.

Summary: 4-Hour Body Works

Not only did 84% of people who stuck to the diet for four weeks lose weight, 14% of people lost more than 15 pounds. That’s a lot of success for such a short amount of time.

Two habits correlated strongly with weight loss: eating a lot of eggs and eating veggies.

Two habits correlated with failure: heavy alcohol consumption and giving up on cold showers.

Defining Success: Lost Weight vs. Stasis

Across all our data, 16% of people didn’t lose weight. Let’s call this the baseline stasis rate. The margin of error on this survey is 5%. We can use this to claim a correlation between sub-behaviors on this diet and success.

Eat eggs and veggies.

People who reported either eating two dozen eggs per week or “too many!” eggs had a stasis rate of 10% and 11%. That correlates with greater success on the diet (i.e. the data suggests you should be aggressively eating eggs for the purposes of this diet).

We saw a much bigger signal from people who weren’t including veggies in their daily meals. Their stasis rate was 25%. Your mom was right: eat your veggies.

Be consistent.

We asked a couple of questions that touched upon how consistently people stuck to their diet habits.

28% of people scrambled to find acceptable meals each day (presumably meaning that many meals weren’t strictly appropriate for the diet).

21% of Lifters maintained their regular, social drinking habits on the diet. Tim recommends limiting alcohol and sticking to wine.

29% tried, but gave up on, cold showers.

You probably aren’t surprised that heavy drinking (25% stasis rate) didn’t help with weight loss. Haphazard eating also leaned that way (19% stasis). But what’s up with the cold showers?

Not taking cold showers and taking cold showers showed up evenly. It didn’t matter which one you chose as long as you stayed consistent.

But people who tried the cold showers and then gave up? They had a 29% stasis rate. This was the highest correlation of anything in the survey. Maybe it’s an indicator of weak wills or failure in other aspects of the diet. I’m one of them, although I managed to lose weight. I tried cold showers four times and then decided I didn’t have the heart to keep going.

Enjoy Cheat Day

I have good news: cheat day eating habits didn’t have any effect on success rate. It didn’t matter what you craved (61% of you crave sweets) or if you ate in excess (combining beer, cheese, frieds, and sugars). So keep eating whatever you’d like on your day off…

Some of them have kept weight off for several years since starting 4HB-based dieting, so there is evidence for persistence of effect. It is untrue that people who diet have to regain weight. It’s an old wives’ tale and totally avoidable.

The Winner of Another 4-Week Challenge: Before-and-After

The premise is simple: studies have established that people work incredibly hard to avoid losing money. Much harder, in fact, than they will work to earn it. So, all you have to do is force people to put their money where their mouths are (“I want to lose weight”) and voila: better results.

On DietBet, players each add $50 to the pot, and the total is divided up among the “winners” at the end of the game. DietBetting is not winner-take-all like The Biggest Loser. Everyone who loses at least 4% of their starting weight will get an equal share of the pot. DietBet supplies referees to verify weights using a photo-based weigh-in process.

Here’s how the total pot breaks down:

– 85% of the total is divided among the winners

– 5% goes to DietBet itself for credit card fees, etc.

– 10% would have gone to me but was instead donated to The Gazzaley Lab, a cognitive neuroscience research lab at the University of California, San Francisco, where I’m helping fund studies on the neural mechanisms of memory and attention, as well as cognitive training.

DietBetting works. People, even wealthy people, keep their promises not to lose $50.

Here are some fun stats from the experiment:

• Total number of players — 673

• Total amount bet — $33,700

• Number of countries represented — 46

• Return you got for investing in yourself in the 4-Hour Body DietBet (if you won) — 58% in 4 weeks

• Return you would have gotten for investing in the S&P during the same period — negative 1.49%

• Average weight lost among everyone — 6.9 lbs

• Average weight lost among winners — 10.1 lbs

• Total weight lost cumulative — 4,673 lbs

• Percentage of players hitting 4% bodyweight loss goal (“winning”) — 53.8% (362 winners). This % win rate was significantly higher than the average across all games, which is 33%. DietBet attributes this to the simplicity of The Slow-Carb Diet (SCD).

• Amount won per player — $79.13 (85% of the total pot divided evenly among the 362 winners. 10% of the pot went to the Gazzaley Lab, 5% went to credit card and Paypal processing, etc.)

• % men/women — 56.8% men, 43.2% women

• Amount donated to the Gazzaley Lab — $3370

As an added incentive, I offered a free trip to SF and day with me to the person who had the most impressive transformation, captured by both measurements and photos.

The winner was Linda M., age 46. Here is one of her before-and-after pics:

… I had skimmed 4 Hr Body in the past and incorporated some of the practices, but this was done by the book, and I am astounded! I have lost fat in the past, along with hard earned muscle, but never came close to losing this much fat AND gaining muscle. I did not think this was possible.

I am so excited to have discovered Dietbet! Money is a huge motivator for me (as I do not have a lot of it) I was so impressed with the sense of camaraderie in the forums, it didn’t feel like a competition. We felt like a team. I went on a little holiday after this challenge, gained back a few pounds and signed up right away for another challenge upon my return. It works, and I will continue to join challenges until I reach my goal weight.

I am excited to continue my progress armed with The 4-Hour Body, Dietbet and now The 4-Hour Chef.

An Opportunity

I’m holding another 4-week DietBet competition, starting today, January 22 to February 18, 2013. Sign up here. If you have an iPhone, I recommend using Lift for extra support.

For the one person who loses the most bodyfat percentage points (not necessarily total weight) by February 18th, I have another prize: a $1,000 prize of my choosing and, if you like, an hour on the phone with me (or lunch in SF, if you can make it).

How to measure bodyfat?

I’d prefer that you use the most accurate tools, such as the below. Many of the above can be found at high-end gyms or nearby hospitals. No matter what, you must use the same tool (and ideally the same person) for your “before,” progress, and “after” measurements.

Skin fold calipers – MUST use at least 7 points and ideally the Jackson-Pollock algorithm (pay per session)

BodyMetrix Personal (purchase) – This is the handheld ultrasound device that is used by the New York Yankees, AC Milan, and yours truly. It plugs into your laptop via USB. I’ve arranged for a $200 discount for readers of this blog; just use this link and code 4HOURSPECIAL at checkout.

If you can’t find or afford any of these, just do your best to capture progress. For instance:

– Take tape measure measurements before starting, then each week, per The 4-Hour Body instructions:

Get a simple tape measure and measure four locations: both upper arms (mid-bicep), waist (horizontal at navel), hips (at widest point below waist), and both legs (mid-thigh). Total these numbers to arrive at your Total Inches (TI). Changes in this total will be meaningful enough to track.

Regardless, eat smart (90% of fat loss), train well (10% of fat loss), and be safe, of course.

Of course, if you want to get uber-serious, I’d suggest reading The 4-Hour Body.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up here and let’s see what you can do among supportive competitors.

I’m betting… more than you think. See you in four weeks!

###

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215 Replies to “Is The 4-Hour Body a Scam? Tracking 3,500 People to Find Out”

Love the slow carb diet, it works better than anything I’ve tried. I love people who tell me that it wont work that i need to put whole grains in my diet and that I am sabotagging myself. It is easy to stick to, easy to start andn gets results quick.

For me grains were one of the hardest part to give up, not because I crave grains but I had a fear of not getting the same satiety from other foods. Took almost a year, but for the most part I only have carbs in any significant amount on Saturday or Sunday.

I love this post! Something amazing such as parts of 4HB that work, gain validity only if they are tested and corroborated by more data points (people). getting fit, being healthy, looking good are all exciting for people. Imagine what we could do if we were testing many other aspects of our lives (social interactions, how we spend money, what effect various clothes we wear have, etc.) As a scientist, I find myself designing little experiments to change things in my life. The most important part is collecting the data and listening to it! I’m so glad Tim is reminding so many people of this practice!

Agreed, Brandon — I love how everyone suddenly becomes a professional dietician when you tell them about this diet: “Oh yeah, that won’t work. Have fun though, dude”. It works, and it’s one of the easiest diets I’ve ever tried.

I did run into one stumbling block on it, that’s worth mentioning — I had plateaued for several weeks without losing a pound. I made one simple change: I cut out all artificial sweeteners except on cheat days, and the weight rapidly started coming off again.

Tim! Awesome that we have the forum back up and rocking! Thanks again for doing something about the PAGG stack (I was that dude harassing you at Samovar about what there isn’t a PAGG stack from you). Thanks a million for all the work you are doing. With our newborn around, I’ll have much more of a reason to get my body into shape so I can play with him a ton.

Tim, as of this morning I have lost a total of 141.8lbs, 131.8 of that weight on the 4 Hour Body. (I messed around with the first 10lbs until I finally saw you on the Random show talking about the 4 Hour Body and I rushed out the next day to buy it.

I cannot thank you enough for making this as easy as it has been. I started January 4th 2011 and have never stopped moving forward. You have completely changed my life for the better and my optimism for the future is so much brither than it ever was before. This book has made such an impact in my life that I even started a website to document my next steps I’m on which is the last 5-10 pounds and adding muscle.

I have been guiding my step mother and coaching her along with her journey on the 4 Hour Body and she has lost 37.8lbs as of this morning.

My sister is my next project, she is down 5lbs in the last week.

Edit:

Weighing just before bed, I am at 208.8 which should put me at a new low when I wake up tomorrow morning!! I love knowing that. 😀

I didnt even get through reading the book, just followed the basic rules and dropped 12 kilograms. Not once did i feel as if i was on diet, I enjoyed it to the max, its my lifestyle now! I strayed off it for a while not following it too strictly and not once did I gain any of the weight back! In fact I lost a little more! I have changed my body completely and didnt even need to touch any fancy supplements or pills for increased result!

If your serious about changing your body and feeling great, then the 4 hour body is definitely the way to go!

The book is sick. I’m about to begin the fat loss section and had a question concerning dairy products. Cottage cheese was mentioned as having no hinderance to fat loss. Does yogurt or Greek yogurt fall under the same claim?

You are the man. I drink a protein shake upon waking with coconut oil and eat chicken, black beans, and spinach for dinner. Outside of that, it really DOES NOT MATTER what else I do, I am able to remain + or – 3 pounds. Exercise is overrated and diet is undervalued. This is coming from someone who used to run at 0500 and hit the weights that afternoon 5 days a week and still be unhappy with my body. Cheers for all your research on yourself. We are in this together.

Right after it launched I lost 22.9 lbs of fat in January. I would have hit my 30 lb goal if it hadn’t been for a 4 day business trip, followed by a 3 day bachelor party. I did everything, 30g protein and 500mL of cold water upon waking up, cold showers, PAGG stack, CQ, D3, Magnesium, Calcium, 90 seconds of air squats. Your book helped me recover my strength and well-being after 4 months of slow healing (both body and brain) after a motor-scooter collision.

Dietbet worked great for me as well! Switched to Android so haven’t been able to try Lift yet, but one thing I’ve been wondering is if my startup’s behavioral technology could be used to improve people’s completion rates. Having reminders keyed towards their personalities (e.g. competitive vs cooperative) might increase their motivation and engagement.

Would love to get your thoughts on it and if you think it’s useful, would love an intro to DietBet and Lift founders.

The people (and organisations ) who say that the 4HB is a scam can suck my knee caps… behind each one, if anyone had the time, you will find the stupid, the ones who are pushing their own own agenda or weight loss regime or the ones who are happy to keep people obese.

Anyway, who cares what the naysayers say – it is real world results that count. I have lost 22lbs in the the last 5 weeks and I have had more then my fair share of malbec

Today – for 30 days – I am on a strict interpretation of the 4HB and will be measuring my progress through various data points… have to say I am looking forward to it …

Tim is a gift to humanity… which is more then I can say about the complainers and moaners…

Used the Slow Carb Diet when I lived in China a few years ago (not by choice, but by situation…long story!). I ended up losing nearly 40 pounds on this diet, and felt better than I have in years (not to mention enjoyed a new wardrobe). SO much of this diet is simply about choices, and I encourage anyone to try it, even if for a short time, to test the benefits for themselves!

I’ve cut down on carbs lately–living in Asia makes it nearly impossible–but I look and feel better. I’ve found that Tim’s kettlebell workout is a great way to add some fitness without having to be in the gym 24/7

So 84% who followed the diet lost weight. In how long? How many didn’t follow the diet? Also, why didn’t they follow the diet? I followed the diet for about 6 weeks, and I felt so sick (and lost no weight) that I just couldn’t keep it up beyond that. According to the book, because of my age and gender, it was understandable that I would not get results in the beginning, but like I said, I started to feel sick to my stomach all the time so I simply couldn’t justify staying on the diet. I don’t think you should be so hesitant to talk about those people who didn’t get results. In fact, as a contribution, I think you want to tell us under what circumstances people left, and under what circumstances people didn’t get results.

Rebecca, I too have had difficulty losing weight utilizing Tim’s plan. The book does not appear to take in account peri-menopause or menopause, which certainly creates a challenging forum to losing weight. I actually gained weight when I followed the plan; I immediately eliminated the lentil’s from my diet, which are extremely high in carbohydrates and now I am back to my original weight.

Sorry to hear of your struggles on this diet and hoping you found a plan, which better suits you to lose/mange your weight.

I donated to the Dietbet cause last time. That will manifestly NOT be the case this time around. I’m in it to win it. Will be weighing in tonight along with photographs and arm/waist/leg measurements that I will updated weekly.

I love the 4HB book! Read it cover to cover…even the scientifical (these chapter should come with an honorary medical degree for reading) stuff! 🙂 I love my new way of eating because of the slow carb diet. It has changed my outlook on food, what I want to put into my body and feed to my two boys . I love being able to eat the “GFM” (good for me) foods until I am stuffed. No going hungry here. This is the way eating and enjoying life should be.

Thanks for putting all this out there! I have shared with numerous people more that once the 4HB story. Tell the Lift crew to get a move on the Android platform…I am ready for it.

Im trying to get in this competition but I don’t have a iphone, just a android. Is there any other way?? Plz help, I’m sure I can win this competition. I’ve dine the scd n lost 29 lbs a few months ago, n it want even that hard!7 call me e info if u can thanks. 847 897 8769

I forgot to mention that even eating plain lentils stopped my weight loss. So even a strict slow carb didn’t work for me like a low carb, but I wish it had because SCD is easier to stick with allowing more choices.

Thanks Jeff, I suppose you could do that depending on which IF protocol you follow.

However, I’m more interested in understanding the science here. Seems to me there’s some contradictory information between SCD and IF, and I’d like to get to the bottom of it. SCD is advocating “stoking the metabolism” with protein in the morning. However, the research cited by IF people suggests that there are problems with eating first thing in the morning — especially Leangains. I’m the farthest thing from an expert, so maybe I’m misunderstanding the positions of the two camps.

They’re two camps that is just what it is. I do IF post-cheatday, mainly because of the cheatday I’m not hungry until late afternoon anyways and I’ve found that I go back on the down-spiral faster. But I don’t think they’re really that compatible the two diets.. So that they contradict eachother isn’t, at least not to me, anything weird.

I think the biggest reason many people find the SCD better than low carb is that it is sustainable. Tim emphasizes again and again how the diet is sustainable long-term. This is because you don’t experience low energy because you’re still eating carbs (the beans). Also, technically there is no deprivation in this diet because you can eat absolutely anything you want once a week.

I’ve experimented with both and I think low-carb is ridiculously unsustainable, especially if you love carbs. Low carb may work faster for some people, but very few can keep it up.

As for the 30g of protein and intermittent fasting, there’s no reason these can’t co-exist. I love fasting and have always done it as I felt like it (like not eating for a whole day after a huge binge feeding party the day before). To this day I typically fast 24 hours twice a week, but on every other day I make sure to get that protein first thing in the morning. Every morning is either spinach and egg omelet, bacon and eggs, or a protein shake if I’m in a rush.

If you’ve tried the 16/8 hour daily fast (where you might not ever eat breakfast), I recommend switching to once or twice a week 24 hour fasts and eat protein in the other mornings to teach your body how to burn fat even while eating regularly.

Thanks Kevin, I will try the 24 hour fasts see how they make me feel. In the past I felt very drained when I did them, and I don’t have the luxury of a “down day.”

As for slow carb, my progress halted just from steamed lentils. I didn’t see any changes in the scale. On low carb, I see massive results within 48 hours and they continue week to week (so it’s not just water weight). It’s hard to maintain, but SCD has not given me the results — I suppose it’s just my body.

Tim, the site says 4% of total weight, but this blog says 4% of total bodyfat. Unless you mean that the contest is for 4% weight, and there’s an additional contest with only 1 prize of $1k plus the 1 hour?

Would you please clarify? I want to sign up tonight, but I don’t know how I’d report bodyfat %, though I have been tracking total inches for a few weeks now already.

Fellow 4HB pasta lovers! I’ve been following the diet as directed for a week or so now (looking forward to Cheat Day), and my go to week night dinner is pasta. However, since its a “no-no” I’ve been a little pressed for ideas. Here’s a great one that’s pretty decent.

Use a mandoline fine grater on the long side of zucchini. It’ll look like thick spaghetti. I salted it to get the excess water out. Then I microwaved the stuff for a minute and dressed it with my low carb meat sauce. No, it isn’t exactly pasta, but it was pretty satisfying and low carb. Pretty easy too!

I’ve been slow carbing for a year and half now. I started out 175 and am down to about 140. My measurements went from 36 (bust) 30 (waist) 43(hips) I am thrilled with my results. The issue is, I can’t seem to shed any fat around my thighs – I have saddlebags. My measurements are now, 34 (bust) 26 (waist) 42 (hips). My body seems wildly out of proportion. Any one (reading this!) know why? And how I can lose inches here? (I did the kettlebell regime to the T. last summer but sadly my hips got wider!)

I am still slow carbing, with some exercise. Is cardio a must to shed this fat?

Pah, If I could make a suggestion for dropping weight on your legs, bum etc., cycling has done wonders for me and is a great way to get into shape because of the low-impact nature of it.

Indoors or out, it is good for burning calories. Bike racers lose weight over the length of a race to such a point that they need to be cautious they don’t start burning off muscle. It is an effective and fun workout. Plus, you get to travel around and see the town.

Never have seen this addressed; since it is tough to eat 30g protein with morning food, the protein drink is used. Should you also eat legumes or veggies with the drink? Or just wait for the mid-morning meal for all solid fuel? Idea’s?

I never have a problem with that, I usually eat 1 egg beat with 1/2 cup of egg whites (scrambled), 1/2 cup black beans and 1 piece of turkey bacon= 30 grams protein! I save the protein drink for after I work out in the afternoon…

I use eggbeaters or whole eggs; it says 6g per egg, and 1/2 cup of eggbeaters is 12g, so that’s 18. 1/2 cup of beans is 7g more, and turkey bacon is 2g a slice. My math says only 27- but willingly concede that is close to 30. I did try that with the spinach, and thought I was eating way too much. So you had success with 3 eggs, 1/2 cup of beans, and 1 slice turkey bacon? I was using 2 eggs, beans and spinach last time I did slo-carb, and lost 15 lb. ….. thought I would try the protien drink just for the experiment. After 2 days, I started eating some veggies, or a couple eggs, or something. just because my stomach wasn’t crazy about just the drink. I’ll post my results after 2 weeks- almost time for for the first cheat day. Thanks for the response!

I use extra large eggs, which has 7 gr protein, and I use liquid egg whites, 1/2 cup = 13 grams. I thinkas long as you are close to 30, I think you are fine! Whenever I feel hunger, I just drink a glass of ice water, that helps! Best of luck!

I loved 4 hours body! What I found interesting is that the food suggested in the diet is also good to maintain healthy skin and will allow you’re skin to develop anti-aging properties naturally. I fallow the diet not for weight loss but for my health. I found the book to be a eye opener; I can look how I feel naturally.

I don’t get why everybody – including now, apparently, even Tim – talks about 4HB as if the Slow Carb Diet were the only thing in it. The great thing I found about the book is that there are so many interesting and potentially useful things in it.

Yes, you can join a game late but you will still have to lose 4% of your starting weight in a shorter period of time.

Tim, may I suggest that for the next competition you preannounce it at least 7 days before starting so your readers have time to prepare and invite their friends. Thanks. Got to get going, I have only 26 days left.

This is related to but not strictly about the slow carb diet- however in the interests of diet tweaking I just wanted to share some personal experience about cutting out sugar.

After a European holiday earlier this year, when I returned I had a bit of flab around my midsection that I wasn’t happy with. Not a huge amount, and admittedly it had been building for some time, but clearly the UK ‘Chips and Beer’ diet hadn’t helped and now I had the proverbial gut to show for it. I was far from obese but I was suddenly fatter than I wanted to be so I was keen to nip it in the bud. On my return to Australia I had been reading a book called ‘Sweet Poison’, which is about just how bad sugar really is for you. I didn’t think I ate much sugar as I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth, but once I did some investigating I was surprised at how much I was getting from things like breakfast cereal, low fat yoghurt (Hint: anything that says ‘low fat’ is usually loaded with sugar) and ‘healthy’ dried fruit. So I made a new rule for myself: if it contains more than 6g per 100 of sugar, I won’t eat it unless it’s whole fresh fruit. I stuck with that for a month, and that was the only tweak I made- I didn’t worry about fat or carbs as apparently our body has good natural mechanisms for telling us when we’ve had too much, but these are interfered with by sugar. I stuck with my normal level of exercise (cycling to work and a few gym sessions per week) and didn’t work harder than usual.

After a month, I had lost 4kg of pure fat which seemed to have come almost entirely off my belly (as I didn’t have much fat anywhere else). I looked leaner, and as a result more muscular. It was almost effortless- no fussy eating plans, no starvation and no killing myself at the gym. But more than that, I felt different- my mood and energy levels were hugely improved. I didn’t have that lethargic, irritable feeling that I was used to, I didn’t need so much coffee to get through the day and I didn’t need a snack in the afternoon to stop me falling asleep at my desk. I felt more alert, more present and generally just happier. So as time went on, the improvement in mood actually strengthened my motivation and it kept getting easier! And yes, my body seemed perfectly able to tell me when I’d had enough fat or carbs so I found I was eating a little less without trying.

Over the Xmas holiday I let myself off the hook a little and had some chocolate, xmas pudding and stuff like that. It was like taking sleeping pills. Guaranteed, within half an hour of any sugary treat I would feel like a nap. I worked out that before my little experiment I was getting around 30g of extra sugar every day, mostly from hidden sources. So now I just avoid it as much as possible. I don’t need to be weird about it, like turning down dessert when someone has invited me round for dinner, but my day to day eating is virtually sugar free. After the first week I didn’t miss it either- your taste buds start working better and stuff like candy tastes sickeningly, acidly sweet. For anyone wanting to lose fat, I think the first change you should make is to lose the sugar from your diet. I also think it’s a natural brain boost!

Since reading your book two years ago (at age 48) I lost 20 lbs easily and have enjoyed many added benefits to my overall health, not to mention the benefits to our grocery bill. Only the interference of proteins with my husband’s Parkinson’s Disease medications prevents him from joining me in my way of eating. My daughter and her boyfriend also saw great results. I have no intention of not eating this way again, ever. Wish I could play along, but I have no more weight to lose.

HI TIM: My son Brent..purchased your book for life xetension..I am ..62 /5’9″was 280 lbs with chronic back/neck pain..carrying 18 TI-screws and 5 TI-wafers. I have an scientific backaground..enjoyed the book’s logix.Started the 4-hour program SEPT-1-2012..now 238 and still dropping…living with increased mobility and min.pain.Goal: 225..Been on several cruises and the menu work-out great.Thank you for PROGRAM! best regards;Doug Jaciow..Everyone wants to know my secret..I just hand them the 4HOUR BIBLE…

Wow, you have figured out how to get people to lose weight. As if this has never been discovered.

What you are omitting from your “study” is where are the results of people gaining 20+ pounds of muscle in a month? If you really knew how to do this without the aid of anabolic steroids or prohormones you would be making millions a year devising training logs for professional athletes especially body builders and NFL players.

Only a noob or a couch potato would believe your fitness claims. You also claimed you DL 600 lbs in a very short period of time after you discovered some secret “technique”. More BS.

Tim you are a great marketer, I know fitness is a evergreen market. However how you sleep at night just straight lying to people to support your lifestyle is amazing to me. Karma is a b homie.

Lets see if this comment makes it. I know Tim has the lemmings and the VAs working around the clock to cook the comment sections.

I am new to the slow carb diet and have been trying to follow it and pick up other pieces and parts from the book to implement as well. I had my cheat day on Saturday and was up 2 pounds the next few days after that…from what I have read it says it should be gone in 48 hours but its not…I’m still up a pound so I feel like I have had to work hard this week to get off what I ate on Saturday. Also a question for those that have been successful…on your cheat day do you just cheat or do you implement some of the other binge techniques Tim references in the book?… like drinking the grapefruit juice right before the first cheat meal of the day and drinking the tea at the most fattening meal of the day and doing the PAGG stack?? I’m confused on what things to implement and what not to. Any help is appreciated.

If I have my cheatday on saturday I normally keep my monday-weigh-in-weight until wednesday or thursday before losing more but the last days goes faster and I lose faster if I don’t go drinking wine and stuff either 🙂 Even if it’s ‘allowed’ 🙂

Very inspiring stuff. Can Athletic Greens be used daily on the SCD or just cheat day, I’m having a hard time finding an answer. Also, if I spent a lot of time prior to SCD on a low carb diet, could that have negatively impacted my metabolism and thus affected how quickly I can get results on the SCD? Anyone?

Seem like you are the only one gain 20lbs+ of musle In a month . I admit that you can lose more than 30 lbs of fat in a month .but it only work for overweight people . For example if a 270 lbs eat only 1,5 lbs of meat and vegetable, legume … His calories intake are lower than 1700 while he need like 5000 calories to maintain that weight … End up losing a pound everyday . But for me I’m only lose like 1,5-2 Lbs a week unless I eat less meat and more vegetable because my weight is only 150lbs 17% body fat

It is just a method to keep you insulin level low around the clock so you do not store fat. The high emphasis on beans is what differentiates this from Atkins and other low carb diets. Ingenious, because beans are the most caloricly dense foods on earth and allow you to meet your daily requirements rather than just wasting away.

I am just starting the slow carb diet, today marks day #5! My question is about turkey. I assumed that Turkey would be an excellent source of lean protein but, in the book Tim lists chicken breast as the lean protein he sees the biggest results with.

I notice that my waist is a little smaller but, I have only lost 1 lb so far, I was hoping to see bigger drop. I am eating eggs with spinach and lentils within 30 minutes of waking and drinking a gallon of water every day. My lunch and dinner are turkey with beans and fresh veggies.

I adopted the slow carb diet late last year and continue to abide by the techniques laid out in it in a quest to drop the extra pounds gained over the past 2 years. Trying to get back to my cycling weight of 160-170lbs.

Thanks to finding Tim and his trilogy of terrific books, things are looking positive again.

Quick question regarding the slow carb diet. Is Fish like Salmon or Tuna an acceptable protein? What about shellfish like shrimp or scallops? I would think they are OK with the exception of maybe a fatty fish like Salmon but what do I know? Appreciate the feedback.

The slow carb diet is AWESOME 🙂 I went on the diet at the beginning of November 2011 (weighing in at 170 ibs, 5’6, 17 yrs old) and by the end of December 2011 I weighed in at 141 ibs. In two months, I lost 29 ibs of fat. I dropped from a size 13/14 pants size to a size 9 in juniors, a size XL to a small/medium in junior tops, and a size 10 to a size 6 dress. I got off the diet before New Years and managed to maintain 145 ibs throughout 2012 by simply eating a few slow carb meals every once in a while and exercising.

It’s now February 2013 and I’m challenging myself to go back on the diet and lose at least 15 more ibs by the end of April (goal is 130 ibs of toned muscle). I’ve been on the diet since yesterday and already lost 5 pounds! This diet is amazing 🙂

I know you’re not suppose to drink your calories – but is there a shake version of this? More specifically a Vegan version? If there isn’t – is taking out and replacing eggs and meat with beans and lentils OK?

wow. Fit into my wedding suit after 1 year. Lost 3.5 kg in 2 weeks , plateau at this after my cheat day. but it works. need to increase the veggies, the indian snacks- namkeens are all made of lentils and are great fillers. enjoying the dhal’s ( lentil) and the rumbles… still need to work around the cheat day. the lime juice, cinnamon etc over all feeling good, looking great. thank you tim ferris. may your tribe increase

You may want to also start monitoring your calorie consumption. For example, you could start off at about 1,500 calories a day for a week and see if you lose any weight. If not, go to 1,250/day, and then 1,000, until you start losing about a pound a week. Once you hit your target weight, you can then start increasing your calorie consumption until you stabilize. At some level of daily calorie consumption you can also have one or two cheat days per week and still achieve your weight-loss objective — you just have to experiment to find the level of daily calorie consumption that allows for cheat days and still lets you lose that 5-7 pounds you are shooting for and then maintain your new lower weight.

1) Periodic increases in carbs and a bit controversially, having some of the carbs as brown rice. So during the week I would have around 100g carbs through eating beans (kidney, butter beans, pinto) but then say on workout days for my meals during the day (I eat 6 times a day because of the hours I work and because it’s now a habit) I would eat roughly 50g of carbs as brown rice.

I weight 170 and typically I eat over 200 grams of protein a day (not including the extra from nuts).

2) Lift heavier – I think this is more important. I started to do the Effortless Superman Protocol and also include my usual low-bar squats. I do 3 workouts per week. You find your aerobic system kicks in big time after a ESP workout so it may be that you just need to give yourself a short sharp boost.

What I would say is what Tim and Mike say: experiment. You may find that you need to eat way more carbs than you think. Just get the protein and fat in.

As a little aside – my mum who is 69 and 5 foot tall wanted to lose weight. She was 134 lbs (9 stone 8lbs). I had bought the 4 Hour Body for my brother and my dad took an interest in the Slow Carb Diet. Anyway I got mum to up her protein and eat nuts and have a lean target weight or around 8 and a half stone. The biggest difference in her diet being protein for breakfast. She has a shake and 2 hard boiled eggs instead of Irish soda bread (homemade) and cereal.

She also was eating 1 tin of beans a day and trying to eat green vegetables but mostly just salad and tomatoes.

Now she was probably restricting her calories as well but she has lost 6 pounds in 4 weeks. That’s more than 6% bodyweight.

Her doctor is amazed. She has more energy than ever. So much so he is recommending protein for breakfast to ALL of his elderly patients.

So experiment with lifting intensity – maybe even lift less but heavier – and experiment with carbs amounts. Hope it helps.

The thing is,you suggested cutting back on calories,but Tim’s book says one of the biggest problems is not eating enough; since I am eating pretty much as the book suggests–eggs, lentils, veggies, meat, etc, and following the pagg routine, and lifting heavy and slow, I should be losing weight

According to the study cited in this blog post, 84% of people who stuck to Tim’s diet lost weight. I imagine those among the 16% who didn’t lose weight may have a metabolism which somehow resists weight loss under Tim’s diet, and your metabolism may be similar to theirs. Of course, this is just speculation. All we know for sure is that it didn’t work for you. That’s why I suggest you may want to include calorie counting in your weight-loss regimen.

Tim, let’s say that I work offshore on an oil rig, and my schedule dictates 3 weeks on/3 weeks off. The food on the rig is workable, but consistency is an issue. Would doing 2 of the options produce results?

Looking through “The Four-Hour Body” I first notice these claims of a simple exercise that will reduce body fat/increase muscle, and get introduced to “the kettleball swing.” Great. But wait. There’s another exercise, and another exercise, and another exercise and another different exercise yet again and again. So much for that simple way–kettelball swing–to do so much. By the end of the book, there are enough exercises (and EACH is touted as the one) to have to modify the title to “The Four-Hour (a Day) Body.

There doesn’t seem to be a hierarchy or organization to the various exercises You have a “Day 1, Day 2, Day 3…” at about p.6, a description of a different pattern someone else is doing on p.9 with “flying dogs” and “glute activation raises” without a mention of the “myostatic crunch” (in your own “Day 1, Day 2…” above), and “Occam’s Protocol” (p.30 or so) is now in a gym with machines, and decidedly NOT simpler than what you say around p. 6. I generally like the book and its philosophy and tone, and I’ll eventually be able to pull together an effective and fast and simple workout.

You missed one key point. Different excercises in different chapters and the prologue tells you to read some, but not all, chapters depending on what you are interested in. Of course some people will read it all and some will make the wrong deductions based on that. Most, if not all, excercises (described) are available on the website as well with either images or video.

I just read 4HB and, as a woman just looking to get fit and hot, I’m not clear on how to put all the work-out “pieces” together. I’ve read through the forums and everything and would LOVE it if you could write a blog entry specifically for women and what workout routine you’d recommend for us. I don’t know if I should be doing the Kettlebell workout + OP + abs… and, if so, do you do it in 2 workouts spaced like in OP? Help! 🙂

4hr body worked. I lost 20 pounds in a month, and I wasn’t severely overweight – I weighed 195 and went to 175 as a 5’10” 42 yr male in one month.

what Tim doesn’t tell you:

1. the first 3 days are awful as you get yourself off sugars. it reminded me of quitting smoking 20 years ago.

2. you start feeling really, really good in week two – like better than ever.

3. you won’t pig out on your day off as advertised after a few weeks. You will be strangely turned off by bad food – although I do love some bread and beer on saturdays – it’s less than I used to shove down my gullet by a long shot.

Any other ideas for breakfast though……I still love black beans, but I’m getting sick of eggs.

totally agree jay – my first few days were hard, but I had the same thing – first day off I had a bunch of sweet stuff and felt like crap for the whole day. Now my day off treat is a bit of really dark (80-90%) chocolate, which isn’t even that terrible!

On my second day off I had a doughnut and actually spat it out…felt gross trying to eat it! Not like me at all 🙂

Yeah I’ve also really felt better after the 2nd week – lighter but strangely more powerful(??) don’t know why that words fits it so well, but it’s made me feel like my body and mind are just really kicking into gear, and stronger than ever before.

One suggestion I have however. I would be very interested to see more of your studies/articles geared towards gaining muscle/enhancing sporting performance/ manipulation of genetic predispositions etc

I know the media is obsessed with weight loss. But out of all body transformations I think weightloss is the most simple to achieve. Eat under maintenance calories and you will lose weight i guarantee it, its basic physics. Obesity is largely a psychological issue i believe.

But with muscle gain or other performance related changes you are doing more than just manipulating calorific surplus you are forcing your body to change and adapt.

Just my opinion of course but i find it far more interesting than just seeing obese people losing weight.

I’m disheartened. I don’t think the 4 Hour Body diet and physical fitness instructions are working for me. I’d love some help or insight if moderators or knowledgeable people are willing. I must be doing something wrong.

What’s the situation? I’ll be brief. I’m a female, 28 years old, 5’6″ and 41lbs overweight. I have been moderately active all my life. I’ve read the book and have been following 4HB for 4 weeks. I’ve also been training for a half marathon since March. Four four weeks I’ve been very disciplined about the diet and exercise. (I avoid domino foods, cook for myself and eat below my BMR (1,577.1kal) but not less than 1,200 kcal.) For exercise I use kettle bells, planks, myotatic crunches & cat vomit crunches. I also use my bow-flex for shoulder and leg strengthening, practice Iyengar, train in my MA and run 3 times a week. I wear a HR monitor and keep data on my runs. I also do my best to stay within the ideal range for conditioning and fat-burning. (I can get into details on how I schedule everything if anyone is interested.) Worst of all, I have been doing actual ice baths. I’m up to my neck in the stuff three days a week on alternating days, at twenty minutes a pop. To have the meager result of 5 lbs lost and have actually gained collective inches on my waist, hips, thighs and arms (chest measurement has remained constant), is enough to make me want to cry. It all begs the question, “What gives?”

The marathon is coming in 6 weeks. I want to be sans 15lbs fat by that time. A big MA seminar is coming in July, and I want be at my goal weight and fitness by then. If anyone feels comfortable advising me, I’d greatly appreciate it. I’m exasperated, but I badly want all this to work. Please help?

I recommend you listen to one podcast episode by Dr. John Briffa, a popular doctor and author in the nutrition field from the UK. It makes a point that I think could be highly relevant to your situation, and you’ll understand when he makes it.

(He’s also a medical doctor, with a doctorate in medicine, specialising in sports medicine and sports performance; he has ran 71 marathons or ultra-marathons, and trained many top athletes, including Olympic gold winners, etc.)

Hi Tim/all — I’ve struggled with weight for awhile, and I keep coming back to 4HB. I’m seriously thinking about giving it a try. But I’m wondering… if you lose fat as fast as you and others say, won’t I have loose skin? That would just be another issue! Thanks for any comments!

I think that the 20lbs lost is not just all fat. Some of it is going to be skin and water weight too. If you remember to stay well hydrated, you skin will stay firm and tighten with your body. If you continue to lose drastic amounts of weight, it will probably be hard for your skin to keep up with your shrinking size, but it will eventually tighten to your new form with proper diet & hydration. Don’t forget to moisturize! Here’s an article on this from someone more reputable than me! http://getfitguy.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-tighten-loose-skin-after-weight-loss.aspx

I am a cardiologist who started the 4 HB in November 2011 with a goal of 45 pounds down in 2 years. Incredibly I lost that in 4 months, and kept going! I am now a fit 180. I have put countless patients on the diet, and many have had great success. At a recent college reunion, many of my friends who were accustomed to the overweight me, said “what the hell happened to you”? 4 started on the 4HB, and all lost between 10 and 20 in the first months. I love eating this way, because I love feeling this way. I was even able to run a 1/2 marathon 12 months in to the 4HB! I lost weight not because I ran, I ran because I lost weight. I am a fervent believer in your plan. I give lectures all over the world, and would be happy to participate in any type of program that will help “spread the word”.

1. Kettle Bell swings, lots of them, with heavy weight. (Make sure you do it right and engage the core and pop the hips, as that’s the only way it engages the gluteus minimus, which helps with strength and posture.)

Ok I started this diet 2 weeks ago. I weighed in at 170 and my body fat was at 15%. Here was my normal diet before I committed to the diet. Oatmeal with protein shake after I woke up. Snack at 10am with fruit. Lunch of whatever. Snack on fruit at 2-3pm. Work out at 5pm-7pm. Eat stir fry mostly at 730. Sleep at around midnight. Weekends eat whatever and drink.

Saturday is my cheat day and I’ve eaten all day with my stomach hurting all day!!

I am pretty disappointed with only losing 1 lb in 2 weeks. What could be the problem. I haven’t touched any supplements. My friends haven’t touched the supplements and have lost a lot of weight. What is my problem!? Thanks for your help!!!

1. 64oz of water is not nearly enough. I weight 160 and I’m drinking 140oz a day, losing about 2.5 a week. Also, you’re 170 and 15% body fat, you shouldn’t be expecting to lose more than .5lb a week, you’re already really low.

2. Your workouts are too long (according to Tim).

3. 4 whole eggs a day is over 100% of your saturated fat and cholesterol intake, may want to sub 1 or 2 whole eggs for just whites.

4. Yes, your stomach will hurt on cheat day if you put McDonalds in it, or any other fast food, or things with nasty preservatives. Try eating cheese, fruit, some grains but keep them more limited. If you have chocolate go for the 85% cocoa stuff. Have lots of good fats and plenty of water/tea all day.

5. Change out lettuce for baby spring mix or spinach.

7. Olive Oil, or whatever cooking oil you use for breakfast and dinner, will add up. You have to be careful with how much oil you use.

Desperately seeking young-ish females to biohack their systems and write books about it. There is such little advice for women well under 40 who are not overweight, but want to loose weight – i.e. belly fat for example. I’ve been on the 4HB for over two weeks and haven’t lost a pound. I started it to finally kick my “healthy” sugar addiction. For that purpose it is definitely working!

So I’m on dietbet, and because of a medical issue, I wasn’t able to fully participate in the diet bet game for the first 2 weeks… some of the medicines I took made me want to eat high carb/ sugary food. I’m 21, 5/10, 183 currently, goal is to 175.

If I strictly follow the diet, think I can pull to 175 in 15 days?

I’m also prepared to do the dehydration technique… but a hell of a lot less then 30 pounds and no where near that much intensity… perhaps a remaining 2-3 pounds? But my goal would be to reach it without.

Me & my Fiance just started the 4hr body diet on June 24th, 2013. My Fiance lost 12 lbs already and I only lost 2lbs if that, we are both eating the same foods and following it to a “T”. What am I doing wrong?

I’m guessing your Fiance is taller/larger than you. It’s likely that you’re eating too much. Men are more often than not, more muscular than women, even when they have more fat on them. This means that their resting metabolic rate is (most likely) going to be higher than a woman’s.

Just to give you something to compare against, I’m 5’8, 153, and my RMR is 1588. That means that to lose weight I’ll have to eat less than that, or burn more calories through exercise than that. It’s very easy to rack up 1500 calories in a day.

You can get your RMR tested at many performance fitness places for $50-$75, it might be worth knowing. You get a lot of good info out of it and you can better guesstimate how much you should really be eating.

I’ve been following slow-carb for about 8 weeks now. Nothing physically noticeable really happened until last week (week 7). Well, having said that I noticed new muscle cuts almost immediately and the mental effects happened around week two. Here’s the deal, I had to give up the legumes. About 3 weeks ago I started to follow the part in 4HB where Tim talks about loosing the last 5-10lbs. It’s basically good protein, good butter, controlled portions and lots of veggies – 5 times a day. I only eat 4 times a day but I also add almond butter. I make enough meals for 4 days at a time and add bell peppers or avocado if I need it. This change has definitely started to work. I don’t know how much weight you need to lose, bust I only had about 15lbs or so to lose from the start.

ALSO! My “cheat days” had to become cleaner and less obtuse. The first couple of weeks that I did go all out, I suffered for it for days after and felt like it set my progress back. So I’ll certainly indulge once every 8-10 days, but I NEVER eat gluten on those days. It’s usually tons chocolate, wine and cheese.

My main point is to HANG IN there girl. Something these boys don’t talk about is how patient women have to be. Of course you could be doing other things wrong. But if you’re following it to a T, then just be patient and/or experiment with a few changes that may work better for you. Every person is different.

I’m 5ft & 3″, I’m have a lot of muscle and weigh a lot “155”, but I don’t look like I weigh that. I work out pretty regularly with a combination of cardio and weights.

My fiancé never worked out a day in his life nor has he ever been on a diet.

I on the other hand have been on every diet known to man.

I have not gained any weight on this diet but also did not loose much.

My over all goal is to loose 20 lbs.

This is what I have been eating every day.

Every breakfast: I have eggs (2 egg whites and one whole egg) with some sort of veggies, (such as: onions, green veggies and beans)

Lunch: everday, I switch from leafy greens, chicken or tuna with again green veggies and beans. One or two meals I added homemade lean sausage (pork).

Dinner everyday: I usually have chicken, twice i had fish, with asparagus, cauliflower or some sautéed greens.

I use only a little grapeseed oil or slight butter for sautéing not even a tbs.

I did make the mistake of having an ostrich jerkey once thinking it was all protein and did have light soy too once.

I do it a little when I wake up, and finish the rest of my breakfast when I get into work.

I have to say I don’t drink as much water as I should, but never was a big drinker.

Oh and I usually have 1 – 2 glasses of red wine almost every night.

So as for my cheat day: the first cheat day I had a huge bagel with bacon, jam egg and cheese, then I had 3 donuts a few beers and I was literally sick and could not eat anything else the rest of the day.

2nd cheat time: I went slightly healthier. I had a cookie, some fruit, yogurt and 3 small slices of pizza.

Any input or suggestions on what I should change would be super helpful.

I’m getting married in 3 months and would LI e to take the weight off once and for all.

I’m 5ft & 3″, I’m have a lot of muscle and weigh a lot “155”, but I don’t look like I weigh that. I work out pretty regularly with a combination of cardio and weights.

My fiancé never worked out a day in his life nor has he ever been on a diet.

I on the other hand have been on every diet known to man.

I have not gained any weight on this diet but also did not loose much.

My over all goal is to loose 20 lbs.

This is what I have been eating every day.

Every breakfast: I have eggs (2 egg whites and one whole egg) with some sort of veggies, (such as: onions, green veggies and beans)

Lunch: everday, I switch from leafy greens, chicken or tuna with again green veggies and beans. One or two meals I added homemade lean sausage (pork).

Dinner everyday: I usually have chicken, twice i had fish, with asparagus, cauliflower or some sautéed greens.

I use only a little grapeseed oil or slight butter for sautéing not even a tbs.

I did make the mistake of having an ostrich jerkey once thinking it was all protein and did have light soy too once.

I do it a little when I wake up, and finish the rest of my breakfast when I get into work.

I have to say I don’t drink as much water as I should, but never was a big drinker.

Oh and I usually have 1 – 2 glasses of red wine almost every night.

So as for my cheat day: the first cheat day I had a huge bagel with bacon, jam egg and cheese, then I had 3 donuts a few beers and I was literally sick and could not eat anything else the rest of the day.

2nd cheat time: I went slightly healthier. I had a cookie, some fruit, yogurt and 3 small slices of pizza.

Any input or suggestions on what I should change would be super helpful.

I’m getting married in 3 months and would LI e to take the weight off once and for all.

Look forward to hearing back. 🙂

Hey Bianca –

First of all, kudos for hanging in there and for reaching out! It sounds like you’re on the right track and although you’re not really going to want to read this next line, HANG IN THERE!

Your description sounds very similar to mine which is why I’m putting my two cents in. However, every person is different. Event Ferriss. What works for him might not work for you in exactly the same manner – or in the way you want it to work.

Here’s the deal, based on your description you aren’t overweight to begin with. Of course people that are truly overweight and especially men, are going to loose weight immediately and often – for a while. You’re probobly not dumping a bunch of weight because you don’t have that much to dump. Yes, it’s unfair, but you can’t keep comparing yourself to your boyfriend. You won’t get anywhere with that. My husband looses 10lbs if he eats a salad one day. But he’s also 6’3″ and 280lbs. Just focus on yourself and other women like you.

A few things I noticed from your diet (and again this is just based off of what has worked for me over the passed 8 weeks):

1. Sausage has wheat in it. Check, check and double check packaging. You’d be surprised. Pre-made burgers also have bread in them.

2. Jerky has sugar and/or sweetner in it. Worcester sauce is a no-no.

3. Experiment for a week having NO wine until your cheat day. See what happens.

4. Don’t worry about “lean”. Worry about “green”. You don’t have to measure butter or the meat if it’s grass-fed. With such a restrictive diet, you’re blessings will be this point. Not having to measure butter and good fatty oils. So don’t!

5. Chicken isn’t necessarily the “best” meat to eat. Lots of Omega 6s. Try having lamb, beef and wild caught fish more often. You will not gain weight because you’re eating beef on this diet. Or butter. Or coconut oil. Carbs make you fat, NOT fat.

6. It seems like you’re aware of this, but yes, drink more water. Annoy yourself with water.

7. Try very hard to stop focusing on a finish line. If you adjust things properly and stay at this, you will see results within 3 months. But to focus on a 3 month finish line presumes that you are going to be “finished”. That you’re going to stop. Which usually means you’ll put the weight back on eventually. Try to focus on your new life-change and savor the good feelings in that. Be proud of yourself and believe that you will reach your goals. The mind is pretty powerful if you let it be!

Hope this helps!

As I’ve said, it took me about 7 weeks of following his diet and adjusting things before I really started to see results. I am 5’4″ and was 150lbs – very muscular as well. Now I’m 142lbs and have lost about 7 inches all around. None of this really started to show until about three weeks ago. I don’t eat legumes at all. But I do re-feed myself some very good carbs twice a week. Sweet potatoes and such… but that’s more of a Dave Asprey thing than a Ferriss thing.

I had lost 5lbs using the slow carb diet in a month(from 183lbs to 178lbs) but I made a change in the morning I had the myoplex carb control to meet the 30g requirement and after workout I also took the same ready to drink shakes.I noticed that my weight went back to 180lbs in a couple of days so I basically gained two pounds again.Looks like these Myoplex shakes are messing up my insulin levels so Im gonna scrap them. Anyone else experienced this?

Thanks for the comment, Taimur. This is definitely a possibility. I find Myoplex (or analog) useful for convenience if dealing with truly obese people. Otherwise, I definitely suggest a whole-food breakfast: 2-3 whole eggs, spinach, and lentils per The 4-Hour Body.

I have been following the Four Hour Body diet religiously since I purchased the book a month ago. I eat the same meals, every single day, I bought the recommended supplements, and I exercise 3 times a week. I have literally not lost even one pound. Can someone help me understand what I am doing wrong? I read diet section of the book 10 times before even attempting this.

My daily diet:

Within an hour of waking up, I eat 30 grams of protein with organic turkey bacon, two organic eggs, organic lentils, and sauteed spinach. I don’t add much seasoning, just pepper and salt and a little coconut oil (two tsp.) to cook it in.

Dinner: Same as lunch, occasionally I’ll make it mexican and add guacamole and more vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower.

If I’m hungry after these three meals, I’ll usually make a smaller version of dinner to snack on.

Everything I eat is organic, grain free, sugar free. I rarely drink, and if I do, it’s less that two glasses of red wine. I indulge on my cheat day, but only on cheat day, and I exercise several times a week doing hot yoga.

I don’t know what else I can do. I thought after a month of eating from a small list of acceptable foods that I would have lost at least 10 pounds. But not even one pound. No, I’m not doing the cold showers, I read in the book that according to his testing, the cold showers were not much more effective than simply choosing to not to do cold showers at all.

I experienced the same thing. I was very strictly 4HB for about 3 weeks with only three pounds lost. I figured out that even though I wasn’t consuming fast carbs, I was still taking in too many calories: about 1600-2000 a day. I would have 1/3 cup of beans, 6-8 oz of meat, and a pile of veggies for just about every meal (toss in one-two whole egg for breakfast) and it was just too much food.

Here’s what I did:

– Take the portion size and cut it in half. Your body will do just fine on 1200-1400 calories a day.

– Drink way more water for the first two weeks of the portion cutting. I was drinking 140 oz a day of just water. Then after two weeks go down to about 90oz of fluids.

– Strength training and a sh*tton of it. Muscles burn a lot of calories, so the more muscles you have, the more calories you burn sitting on your a$$ all day.

– I’ve been “fasting” for breakfast. I have a 170 calorie protein shake with 30g of protein in it, 3g of carbs (2 of them sugar), and 1g of fat. I’m totally fine until 1PM when I have my first small meal.

– Find an “exercise” you love doing. I love to climb, so 3 days a week on lunch I go to a local bouldering gym and climb my butt off.

– Then 3 nights a week I go to the gym for my “real” workout. It’s not fun exercise, it’s serious business exercise. Deadlifts, pull-ups, push-ups, leg press, widow makers, military press, barbell curls. Get serious about iron, be friends with it.

After following that for a month and a half I lost 20 more pounds. I still have about 12 to go and though they’re happening more slowly, they are still happening. And I can beat most men I know in any physical challenge.

Thank you for this valuable information! Eating too many calories must be the only reason for my lack of weight loss. I’ve been thinking about heading back to the gym, so I will try adding in a few days of weight lifting, and see if that makes a big difference. I’m amazed that you lost 20 lbs in a month and a half. I would be very happy with results like that! And the last 10 are always the hardest, right? Great job, and thanks again!

Fats are very good for your body (even saturated fats like in Coconut), and I would seriously not recommend going to strictly egg whites. Yolks contain lots of B12, essential for your body to produce energy and be happy.

We got this book a little over 2 years ago – it worked for us! I had ballooned up to 154 and w/i a year with the diet and visits to the gym got rid of 35 lbs – my husband also had similar success. You just have to think of meals as meals and not breakfast, lunch and dinner – we at times had leftover chili for “breakfast” . In no time, your “cheat days” don’t even come into play as you will lose your desire for the sweets and other problem items in your former diet.

I think losing weight is all about discipline. Cold showers would turn me off right away. A balance between exercising and a healthy eating plan is the only way to lose weight. I think the 4 hour body works for many people because people feel as if they are part of a club, so there is many people that can help you focus and stay disciplined. [Link removed.]

You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet and anyone who says energy in vs energy out = weight loss or weight gain – has never, ever, been overweight.

I’ve lost 55 pounds the last year using 4 Hour Body and I’ve done about 1-2 “kettlebell”-workouts of 10 minutes tops per week. Recently switched over, just like Tim thinks many does, to Paleo/Primal lifestyle instead.

I’d suggest you do like the rest of us do. Inform yourself on nutrition, don’t put crap into your body (like I did before 4HB). There’s really no reason for you to be here and taking a ‘piss’ at people who this works for. For each their own.

If you want to learn something about what does what to people.. “Good Calories, Bad Calories” and “Why we get fat and what to do about it” by Gary Taubes are good starting points.

You say it’s all about discipline but then you say cold showers will turn you off. What you said was you don’t have discipline.

I also hate it when people say “just eat healthy.” If people knew what eating healthy was, then they probably wouldn’t be here, on Yahoo answers or any where. When most people think healthy, they go “an apple a day…”

And the Slow-Carb diet isn’t club like at all. What you’re thinking is more along the lines of weight watchers. This is just a diet with proof of results that anyone can do alone.

This plan, it just fits my life. I had tried a few other plans before, while they did give me pound loss, they were:

1. too slow for my impatience, I have a lot to lose here!

2. made me think about food way too much.

I love that on this plan I tend to appreciate food more. A treat is truly, a treat, as you only get it once per week. During the week this diet has trained my body to eat only what is good for it.

The beans are a brilliant addition. The insoluble fiber is so great for the gallbladder! On other plans I would end up with gallbladder attacks as my body flushed fat, but not on the 4HB! And that is with losing an average of a pound per day. YES!

In two weeks I lost 14 pounds. Now don’t get me wrong, there were days the weight stayed the same, a few days it went up, but them bam: some mornings it was down by 3. The body has to adjust so keep that in mind. By the end of 2 weeks, 14 pounds. Yep, that is a pound a day. (yes Four Hour turned me into an obsessive weigh-er, only because it is FUN to weigh in now)

I also love how easy it is to put the diet aside for awhile if there is a lot going on in my life, stressful stuff happens! But, it is so easy to pick right back up when you are ready. I picked it back up, 5 days in, 5 pounds gone! Tada!

This diet just works, it is easy, cheap, fast, and satisfying. This is the perfect diet for me.

Great book and a great read! I`ve been on the diet and kettlebell program for almost 3 weeks now. I used to weigh 75 kg but it crept up to 82 kg over 2 years. I`ve been actively exercising 3 times a week and I`ve also tried the Cyclical Ketogenic diet. That had fast short term results but i couldn`t sustain that. I started the 4hr body diet and kettlebell program about 3 weeks ago with a “Feast then Fast” addition after my cheat day .I`ve lost about 2 kg.

I have 2 questions: How do I accelerate the weight loss? Any extra diet or exercise tips?

What Happens if you have a cheat day that`s not your scheduled cheat day? Eg: Christmas or New Year`s day. Do you have to reset the whole schedule? How do I mitigate the effects of an unanticipated cheat day?